WHO WAS THAT ?

Spectacular achievement that it was , apart from a brief glimpse on TV , the WHEELCHAIR WARRIOR , went virtually ignored into the background , at the finish of the Giro d'Italia , on stage 20 at " Tre Cime di Laveredo , this past Saturday afternoon ! Despite a comment to the Eurosport " Live feed " , asking if it was " Zenardi ( I knew it was not ) " , there was NO reply and the comment DID NOT get published !

Had it been Zenardi , whom i have met at the Giro in past years , there would have been numerous references to his past achievements . Yes , Celebrity is necessary to wake up the Media ! Currently i still get recognition , BUT , it is of the " There's Skippy " sort . Not what i want though ! If Media come to me , the first question is " What are you planning to say about " Para Sport "?  Some of my friends/acquaintainances have seen me refuse the time , with these people , when i say that " UNLESS the bulk of the interview is about " Para Sport " , this is a waste of my time . Frankly i see no benefit to anyoner when they want to talk about me , 16 seasons of effort , condensed to a " we are not interested in the reason d'etre "? Without even being interviewed , i am getting emails , from those that see me on TV , either old footage or as background .

When interviewed by the Media , i am interested in reminding people that they can choose their own way to assist " Para Sport " , this is my way , gives some purpose to the many hardships that i endure , during these events . Believe me , it is not easy getting around the Grand Events for 23+ days and it does not pay the bills even though people are kind enough to welcome me and offer hospitality on the roadside . Even though i give people the links too this blog , i doubt many follow up to see the photos or any story of the occasion . It has been a bit disappointing on occasion to not get the email or photos , because as you will realise , there are some that i meet , that work with " Para Sport " and thus i see an opportunity to help them with their endeavours .

Media people promise a great deal , but they report/feed to the back office , so much of what they capture could become " scraps on the cutting floor " , deleted from the final cut , sent to air . Case in point , was the Sky People in Napoli , on the opening Thursday , who came looking for me in Earnest .

 Lot of that interview was about my efforts for " Para Sport " , but they persisted in seeking an answer to the question of " Sir Brad winning "! Being diplomatic , i pointed out that he had to finish the race , as he had gone home from a Grand Tour in the past , with injury ! Then i pointed out that in finishing the race , weather , competition and GOOD LUCK , would contribute factors to his being top 10 , let alone on the podium !

After finishing the interview i headed over to watch the front door at which the " Giro trophy " shortly arrived, so i went back and alerted the Sky Crew to this event . Wonder if that item , took the bulk of my interview time on " Air ", thduring thoseat is , if any was screened ?  Several other opportunities presented during those days of preparation , but unless i get an email from some part of the world , saying they saw me in certain circumstances , i regard any interview as " doubtful and a time filler "!

Certainly great to hear from Vince of Melbourne , whom i have met in Monaco and Rotterdam at " Le Tour"  in past years . There is a blog post on " How i met Skippy " , somewhere in the many Blog archives . Vince being an avid Cycling fan sent the following :

"  Skippy  i enjoyed your reports of the first stages of the Giro with accompanying photos , did you stay on travelling with the race or head off ? to warmer parts, from watching on TV the weather has been very poor for camping and riding .

Cadel has hung in well out performing most predictions of the so called experts, pass on my best wishes when you see him next   ha ha 

Were you present on the last mountain stage finish to see the wheelchair guy climb the very steep road and struggle across the line, it looked a gruelling effort and i thought of you immediately.
                                         
                                             all the best hooroo vincent

WELL Vince , i was watching also , as that courageous guy , arrived on the top , i was also hoping to see how the " Guys in the Red topped Weather Coats " , would have treated his efforts! At that time they would have been turning people off the final metres , with the excuse that the finish line was being prepared . That it was finished hours earlier , is of no consequence , since they are trying like " Le Tour " to SELL the Rights " of Tour Parties to cross the line . These days after getting shunted to the side , i walk through a variety of hazards , even getting open wounds/scratches to get to the back , then cycle down behind them . Occasionally i get to do a quick chat with those interviewing the people lining the barriers .

Sunday in San Sepulcre , i awoke to an annoyance in the right eye . There appeared to be more that the occasional bubble floating across the vision . It resembles a cobweb , hazy and dark , but not limiting vision . With the Saturday being the Individual Time Trial , i had woken at 5am and ridden the course and returned to the start and started out for a second effort . This time as i reached the start of the final ramp they tried very casually to stop me going up and about 150m  from the line i got turfed off , into a private house and collected coffee with RAI TV Personnel . It was even harder getting back to the start this time as i had lost the road riding with a guy who lived nearby andwho was driving to the " Partenza " , a prospect that was a lot more appealing than the 1 1/2hr slog , that i had already done earlier , whilst still full of energy .

Turned out this Guy was going much later in the day , so i was adrift and thus headed for the nearest " Autostrada Entry " where i watched many Team Cars roar past . Eventually i picked up a lift with some folk that were able to relate some of the Giro story as we headed North , Having been dropped at the exit it was an easier ride back to the Team Parking Area .

Sunday i bumped into a Guy , who was at several events over the years , he had emailed me photos in the past , of the personalities we encountered . This time he obliged again , but i am still awaiting those photos from that Sunday . Another guy in the Team area , was a young Aussie who stopped me in Napoli , to remind me of an occasion at " Le Tour " , where we had met before . On recollection , it was the day after a rest day , that i had helped " www.georgethecyclist.blogspot.com " , collect a Radio Shack T shirt , from Johan Bruyneel . Wonder when JB's troubles will be over ? Being in the poo with UCI seems to be a question of how long is a piece of string  .

With this eye problem , which i put down to the exertions of the previous day , i decided that the time spent at the start and the ride earlier with Gianni Motta was enough for the day , so a straight drive north to the " Rest Day Area " was the best plan . In encountering said young Aussie , i offered a ride north , seemed the decent thing to do , particularly as Firenze was forecast as stormy weather . Graciously declined though , " People are relying on me to ride the route for " Charity " , BS . But it suited me , as i planned to get around the Sponsors noth of Padua , who have provided me with Equipment over the years .

Monday 13th May , turned out to be sunny and warm and enjoyable , as all the visits landed me with New Equipment and replacements for items that were about to expire through the daily , year around trashing they receive . So thanks to Lorenzo , Antoinella , etc ! With the vists over, and no time to get to Treviso if i was to ride with the Maglia Rose , as in the past years , instead of heading for Astana , i headed for the Cannondale Team Hotel , with the intention of riding with the Team , but big fail . Once again , riding around the car park , after cleaning the bike , the front tyre , only just pumped to race pressure , blew out . Checking out the previous punctures , which were all in the same place , i discovered that the " Vittoria Rim Tape " , guaranteed to 145PSI , had been punctured , allowing the tube to meet the spoke head ! Wednesday at the Partenza in Tarvisio the Vittoria person , provided a couple of new inner tubes , but the Rim tape would have to come later . After fixing the tyre i was greeted with an invite , to join the Cannondale personnel , with their impromptu picnic . Prosecco and salsa chips , not my usual lunch time fare , but nevertheless , very tasty . As we were finishing up , the team arrived in so was able to have a brief chat with Cameron Wurf , the Aussie who i first met at the Giro del Trentino this season . Like Chris Horner , he has the perpetual smile and welcoming attitude to the amateur cyclist .

Tuesday 14th after a visit to Team Bardiani , i rode to the Partenza then rode the start of the day's route with Gianni Motta for about 40km . Along the way we passed this .Aussie who declined the invite to join the Bank Med Clients who were moving at a faster pace . During this ride , i chatted with a Guy who told me thst he was the Principal sponsor of the Italian who won 3rd place in the Cerebal Palsy Road Race at London Paralympic Games . Having given him my email address , i am disappointed that he has not as yet been in touch . After photoing him , i scooted back to the car at a town , 15km into the days stage , Casarsa , then drove to the back of the foot of the first cat 1 climb , Passo Cason . On descending on the bike from the back of the GPM there , i came across Maurizio Fondriest and Francesco Moser , leading the Bank Medlianum clients to the Mountain Top Finish , at Sella Nevea . As usual Francesco & Maurizio were climbing strongly and a stop was called at the 4km mark for a refreshment break at the Bank Med. Sponsor booth . During the ride another Guy advised that he was working with Para Sport . After about 20 mins about 8 of the original 30 set off , to fight the way through the mass at the road block . With the Rim tape problem being in my mountain wheels , i was using the sprint wheels and 42 on 21 was a tad difficult , particularly as several times a local would blunder into me spilling us both to the roadside . as it was , i managed to arrive at the top , metres behind both the Past World Champions though after having to push through my normal limits .

At the finish Francesco was allowed to ride through but i was physically pulled off my bike , so rode around the back and rode through the finish line to the 100m point and the TV commentators , who had seen the earlier action . Made several comments about " Para sport " as i watched the " Red coats , grind their teeth . Those Guys have retired from the Caribiniere , but behave like they were running G. Bay in Cuba !

Finished there , i descended to the 22km mark on the course and was welcomed by the family there , so as to watch the TV and enjoy their hospitality . During this period , their lawn was invaded by the Local TV Station , allowing me to encourage locals to support the local Para Athletes and relay the morning's story of London Paralympics . A couple of the locals had taken the day off , so took off , so as to avoid being seen on TV , seems the Giro visit was not the reason given for being away from their work ?

After the race passed i headed back to the car parked at Dogna and drove into Tarvisio where i again cleaned the bike before a walk through town looking for the Camping park . Whilst walking past an outdoor Cafe , i heard " Skippy!" , turned out to be Peter Wrolich , an Austrian Racer , retired from Pro World Cycling since 2010 . Last time i had seen him without a helmet in place was at Salzberg 2006 World Road Championships . There i had met him in the hotel Restaurant with a 2yo son , as he was there to represent Austria .

After overnight camping i rode the climb to the Partenza several times for various reasons and to pass the time . After spending time with the Medical Team and discussing the " Eye problem " with the " Giro Doctor ", i decided to accept his advice to visit an Eye Specialist . Before leaving the Partenza , i had time to ride to ride with Christian Vandevelde , who regarded the 6 month suspension as an inconvenience . Then rode down to sign on with Cameron and relayed the fact that i was ducking a few days to visit the Specialist . As i was riding up the hill back to the Team pullmans , i came across Ramunas talking to a lady friend and wished him a good day in the office , little realising , i would be watching the TV  near Lienz as he crossed the finish line as the day's winner ! Spotted Vincenzo heading to sign on , and after a sprint , managed to have a one on one chat roadside ,before he got caught up by the masses . 

After that , and as the Depart time was fast approaching , i headed down the hill and through Tarvisio like a scalded cat making the best of the slack road controls until i arrived at a cafe at Pontebba where i found some VIP Guests of the Giro devouring some sandwiches . Invited to have some water i also finished up with a box of tasty Sandwich rolls that survived for several meals . One of the Guests turned out to be the General Manager of UCI , but was in no mood to discuss " Politics "! I think he got the message that Mc quaid was not the man for the next term of office .

 With my life centred on Schwaz in Tirol , i decided that a trip through Lienz and Mittersill would get me back home and thus to my GP/Doctor . Arriving in Lienz i discovered that the Tunnel , north of lienz was closed due to rockslides caused by unseasonably heavy rains . Longer trip meant that i was knocking on my Doctor's private door in order to get the necessary paperwork for the visit to the Eye specialist the next morning . 

Thursday was a series of Medical visits as i first visited the Embolism professor to ascertain the questions and answers i should be seeeking from the Eye Specialist . Whilst in the Hospital i sought out the Dentist to see if a certain problem needed dealing with but he deferred it some more . Fortunately the Eye Specialist was able to see me before lunch , thus making the book i had taken with me on the bike , redundant .  As it now appears , the eye problem , whilst posing no threat to my long term eye sight , caused me to avoid some incredibly bad weather in Italy .

Returning home i found an email from Torino warning of Extreme Weather conditions . My host in Torino , who provided the accomodation during the 2006 Winter Games , warned that the weekend was going to be such that the Giro's plans would be disrupted , and so it turned out . I took the adviced and stayed in the warm and sunny Tirol  , whilst those paid to entertain us , suffered the extremes that Nature chose to deliver . 

This past week has been a period of uncertainty since this is the first year of 15 that i have not attended the full Giro Route . There have been years , where i have shortcut the course , like not going to the 4th stage finish in Serra San Bruno , but driving instead to Matera . Riding with Gianni Motta the opening part of the day's route at Policastro , we got to Castrocucco before i turned back to the Team Pullman area to see Taylor Phinney spend time adjusting his bike . I then rode down the course to the first climb after Sapri to watch the Racers pass my "AUSSIE ,Aussie , aussie " chant .

Matera is the site of a visit in 1999 that was a start & finish . Then the Youth Hostel was part of a Hotel , amusing since the Shimano Guy who ii find driving a Pullman on occasion these days was enraged that i was paying about 11000lire to walk through the same door his people were paying about  80000lire , for similar accomodation .

Warned of the weather patterns in Italy , the decision to return at Vincenza , became the Garda Zee and Mori , became the advice that the Passo Gavia & Passo Selvia were scratched in favour of the Tonale . suited me as the early morning start brought me to Cloz , which was on the route now broadcast . Early morning call from my Farmer friend in Cloz scuttled that plan . Some that do not listen to the weather forecasts , get to park their bike on the Passo Tonale , to impress their audience .

Well i am now sitting writing this post ,as Leyton Hewitt , has just snatched DEFEAT , from the Jaws of VICTORY , once again ! What is it with this Guy ? it is an unfavourable 5 sets to 1 down , in the final set and he is still fighting ! Aussie grit has finally appeared ?

Topping off ALL this , is the frustration of Eurosport thinking that their Viewers are willing to subscribe to their new " Eurosport Channel 2 ". Back to the " Eurosport Live ticker feed " and will they answer my question from yesterday , " WHO WAS THAT " in the Wheelchair ?

16 seasons of watching the Event Organisers being dismissive of " Para Athletes " and those that would emulate them puts me in no mood to accept , " It is too hard to find out "!

THose with Disability in 1998 were treated as second class Citizens and the 2000 Sydney Olympics , turned the corner slightly , Athens was no real progress after Chirac designated 2003 as the Year of the " Disabled " but even with progress at Beijing it was the London 2012 Paralympics that dragged " Para Sport " into the 21st Century !

TOO OFTEN Sportspeople are described as " Heroes " , yes certainly " Role Models " , BUT , Heroes are those , like that " UNNAMED WHEELCHAIR RIDER " , that quietly go/went about their task , in the expectation of no reward or recognition !

BRAVO SIR !

Next week i go to L'Alpe d'Huez , to ride the Climbs that Pro riders do once , occasionally twice in the day . THis Charity ride has thousands seekking to do it 6 times and last year raised 32 million euros . Mixing it up with the thousands of " Able bodied Riders " were 30+ Wheelchair Racers , some racing machines like that used by Zennardi in the London Para Event and others in their everyday Chair such as that used yesterday !

We are now at 5 sets ALL , Leyton has found his Backpack of Aussie Grit ! With this being in Paris , each point won by the Frenchman is receiving a " standing Ovation "! Well not quite , but you can see the crowd trying to carry their countryman over the line and Leyton does not help by adding unforced errors to his playing efforts !

Well Leyton , once again , lost ! As an Aussie , i am unhappy that he has snatched DEFEAT from the jaws of Victory ! At 5sets to 1 down , he displayed Aussie grit , got to 5 sets All , then decided , enough was enough !

Sent the following comment to Eurosport Live ticker tape feed , will they publish ?

  " Should have saved the original comment !


 What i asked yesterday was " Did anyone findout WHO the Wheelchair User was ?"

 as a result i did a blogpost in " Parrabuddy " which you can google since the moderation does not allow me to give a link ! 

 Also i commented on Leyton Hewitt snatching defeat from the Jaws of Victory ! 

Having ridden the full route of the Giro each year for 15 seasons , this was the first i had to quit thru Ill health , more than the sAvage weather ,

Respect to ALL the Racers that completed the Event !"

Comment made it to Air , but will we get the ANSWER ?

Eurosport 1 has once again appeared with the Giro , Advertised they would carry it ALL the year until i left for the Event , told people it was worth tuning in , but when i return to watch , i had to wait until the following day until y/day & today .

CRASS STUPIDITY

Box on wheels does not make the driver invulnerable nor confer priority over those on Push/pedal bikes , yet there are elements of the population that leave their brains at home when they get behind the wheel !

Friday through Sunday has been glorious weather here in the Tirol but it has been marred each day by what some may consider trivial but could have resulted in a hospital visit at the very least .

Austria has lovely country for cycling in if you can contend with the traffic on the Bundesstrasse , the main roads that are secondary to the Autobahn system . Tirol has the “ 171 “ running from Kufstein through Innsbruck to Imst and points west . Normally no difficulty to ride this route without interference and in some areas there are bike paths alongside for the mountain biker or touring bike but the Race bike thin tyres can be subject to puncture since these paths are not always clean and the surfaces are broken up in many cases .

Between where I currently stay in the Inntal and Worgl & Kufstein there are cycle paths which form part of the “ Stephansweg ( Pilgrims route ) “ and these one track roads were primarily there for the farmers use , not often you have two tractors needing to pass each other but over the years they have been asphalt surfaced and if you stick to the middle you will not risk breaking a wheel by hitting a rut or a trench badly refilled . In some places there are tracks either side of the drainage ditch/canal affording alternative routes and thus reducing the traffic hazards .

Not sure of the speed limits that apply on these one track roads but a newly installed bridge over a ditch/canal has a 30kph sign as there are some entry points from other tracks there also .

Friday after several hours on the road I was heading west out of Kundl on one of these tracks pushing hard as I was only 15 mins from home so burning the energy . In the past I have ridden alongside another rider who reported we were doing 47kph and wanted to know if we were going fast enough . He was coming from Kitzbuhel that day and was heading into the Zillertal and Gerlos before Mittersell and home . Passing a red car that poked it’s nose on to the track causing me to avoid a collision I piled on the pace once again but about a kilo down the track it was using the klaxon . Since the road surface was broken up at that point and we were approaching the bridge I stayed where I was and went through the bridge somewhat quicker than the posted speed but the driver must have been airborne as he chased me down the road .

Further along the road takes a right towards a “ chapel with a water trough “ and so he went straight ahead . While I passed the chapel in a straight line he poked out from the left once again trying to force his will against all decency . Further along the road has grass on either side so he drove his lhs wheels onto the grass then swerved across my line forcing me onto the grass on the right . I managed to stay upright but further up the road he reached across pushed the rhs door open and then swung his door open thus blocking the one track road then came to a halt . Again I hit the grass and stayed upright but continued up the road to a pedestrian that I had seen .

On asking him what he had seen he said that he saw the car force me off the road and then throw the doors open . When the car drove up the old man got out and started raving in German , in fact the pedestrian had to step in when he threw a punch . Then the bystander told me the driver was a “ Nachbar ( neighbour ) so he could not help me even though he thought “ the fool should not be driving “ ! With this it was obvious I was unlikely to get any further help and wished like “ Cycling silk “ and others that I wore a helmet camera .

Saturday was also warm and sunny and when I found myself in a narrow road with pedestrians either side I slowed somewhat but whilst I had right of way and was on my side of the road an impatient driver pulled over so that he was heading directly at me and accelerated scattering some of the pedestrians . His wing mirror caught my hand on the handlebars raising a bruise but he continued on and there was no point to try and chase him down . One time I had a similar problem in the west of Innsbruck and had to chase several kilos before I caught the idiot but even then I got no result .

Sunday dawned warmer and with a clear blue sky I headed up the climb to Seehof and Haus as I had done in the “ Boring Eurosport “ post . Many mountain bikers dawdling up the climb but no target to chase . Arriving in the Breitenbach roundabout I saw another race bike heading over the bridge but then saw him turn west towards Kramsack and I was not about to head that direction so soon . Just then another rider appeared heading towards Kundl which suited me better .

Talk about grabbing the tail of a Tiger , this guy was driving the bike and was not looking to take prisoners ! Charging down the road without any seeming effort since he was in the middle of the cassette on the big ring and there I was pumping hard to get into and then stay in his slipstream . Slowing to take some turns in the road and then to go through a covered bridge left little time to discover his destination but eventually we were on a farm track and I was able to pull alongside and see that he was on a Carbon Simplon and grab a few words and the destination he was heading towards . For me Kufstein was a regular short trip so this suited me admirably . Only when there were narrow lanes to contend with did he ease the pace and then only to let the traffic hazard pass . Eventually we exchanged a few words as we bowled along in the 40’s and then I even got to go point a few times . At one point I even got the camera out to take a shot which is not easy when going full bore .

Today’s bike was the black alloy “Specialised “ with 55 on 11 and that he remarked seemed to be hard work . Each time I got on point I was trying to pull the pedals up as well as use the TT position and it was only as we neared Kufstein that I felt he was easing off the pace .

After parting I continued on to Rosenheim in Germany which added another couple of hours to the trip . One point the road rises on a 13% climb and there were a few other shorter climbs to cause a drop in pace . On the outskirts of Rosenheim I saw a fast moving group so spun around to join for a few kilos . When we parted I realised how much of a head wind I was going to have to contend with on the roads back to Kufstein so crossed the river to take an alternative route which I had travelled during the “ Deutschland Tour “ some years ago . This part of Germany has some nice villages with doglegs through the centre of the village .

One such village has a climb that slows me to about 25kph and then runs under an arch and then descends on a winding road to the outskirts . Coming down this hill I had an open car overtake recklessly since I was over 50 kph and there was a car coming so I was even more unsettled when a motorbike swung around in front of me then applied the brakes causing me to swing left and take the corner faster than him and so he was in my trail once again . Passing out of the village he pulled alongside and started abusing me for passing him even though I was still on the bumper bar of the white car .

Eventually he pulled back as traffic was coming and then repeated the harassment and then had the gall to suggest I should be on the cycle path which had started whilst he was endangering me . After a while my attitude got to him and I had to warn him that should he persist the motorbike would be carrying three and a bike because I was not going to allow him to force me off the road . Message seemed to get through or the woman on the pillion had had enough and he was gone . These cycle paths are generally a good idea IF they start in town and run alongside the route through the various villages but can also be dangerous when the inhabitants are about with children or unleashed dogs .

Generally as I race down the cycle paths I come across two fully loaded “ pilgrims “ side by side so call out “ Helloo “ about 100m back and again 50m which causes them to look thus I know they are aware and “ Danke “ as I pass , rarely do they refuse to allow passing . Odd occasions I have had a gaggle of touring bikes coming towards me blocking the whole road and even though they see you arriving some will even wander further onto the wrong side of the road causing the likelihood of collision , defies the imagination as to what is the reason !

Cycling Etiquette was covered about a month or so ago but only had one comment which makes me wonder why others have not contributed their thoughts on this subject .

PLEASE THINK ABOUT A CONTRIBUTION ! You can also entertain others with “ How I met Skippy “!

　

　

　

PODIUM CAFE !

Want to be taken for a ride ? All you have to do is TRY to post a comment to a Podium Café article then you get to wander around “ SB Nation “ whilst the “ Ads and other BS “ assail you ! Since you have no interest in any of this material from the USA commercial & sporting world, you are left wondering if “ Podium Café “ is worth the time !

Normally after posting to any site I leave the tab open for a few days so that on “ refresh “ I get an update to see if there is any follow up that is needed . First posted comment took about 10 mins and around 20Mb and nothing thrown at me during the “ round the houses excursion “ was worth a look let alone the cost in effort !

Some of the articles are really interesting but following blogs is about participating rather than just clicking on and reading . Whilst I have a low opinion of Cyclingnews Forum contributions , there at least getting into add comment is simple and direct .

Yesterday I tried to post a tweet and because the B/band is so pathetic in the area of Austria I am currently resting I am beginning to wonder in which Century the providers are living ! Service is not their Forte ! After about two hours of repeated efforts I put in a link with no explanation to @spokesmen about Eurosport !

During the last days the Froome victory at the Vuelta has been virtually front page news and adding to the excitement surrounding the event . Usually Eurosport is aware of critical , newsworthy events and daily they opened in the past with a resume of the last minutes of the previous day’s stage . 1600hrs was the published start of broadcast which came and went whilst a few “ Unimportant snooker balls “ rolled into holes . Then the Ads appeared which pays for what we are offered BUT THEN straight to the live broadcast ! With commentary in German I no longer attempt to listen but this day was about a breakaway that stayed away . Past years I have seen split screen of happening events with other matters being shown at the same time , so what was the problem here I wonder ?

Without access to Eurosport TV I have to go to a bar and after a long ride , Kramsach to Brennero return with a lot of drizzle I was looking forward to seeing what had been described in writing at length . Well when you read my blog you will see I was so livid about the attitude of Eurosport I went for another ride to let off steam .

Will I be watching today ? NO WAY JOSE !

Fact is I doubt I will summon the interest to watch Eurosport for some time . WHO among you gives a “ continental “about “ Yokohama” ? I DON’T !

SAM STOSUR has done Oz proud by moving into the Semis at the US Tennis Open , let’s hope that she makes history with the WIN on Sunday !

BORING EUROSPORT

SPLIT screen technology has been used by Eurosport for some time but did they think to use it today ? No way Jose !

1600hrs is the advertised start of the Vuelta that cycle race they advertise constantly as if it is something of a triumph for them to be able to broadcast to their viewers . As it was we were treated to a delay whilst Snooker ran over and the commercials were shown . So now we are late going to the " Live Feed " and thus the ONLY ACTION of the week , yesterday's final kilometre does not get shown !

Every other day you are treated to a repeat of the previous day's finish but WHO decided that Cobo v Froome of yesterday ," was as boring as watching paint dry "? Looking at the picture of today's etappe as i am watching in an Austrian  bar w/out sound we reached the 39.8km mark and i decided to go for another ride to pass the time until the action became interesting . ASK Thomas Rohrregger the distance from Kramsach to Breitenbach via Seehof and Haus and return and he will tell you it is a shade under 20km  but i was back in time to see Paulino 36secs ahead at the 13km mark .

After a ride beyond Innsbruck to Brennero and return there was still a few kilos in the legs  . Not only that my beer didn't go flat whilst i was away . David Harmon is on the british commentary but i am unsure who was the German not that i would hear them or understand much of what they say . Regretably Paulinho was left to solo to the last few kilometres so that he had little to offer when overhauled . The result of Gavassi sprinting to the finish was no reflection of the day's racing .

 

WORM CRAWLS OUT

AS I start this blog entry the Giro is 87km from the line and they have just shown video of the worm on Deutsche Eurosport in a split section with the race where real racers are earning their living by suffering long distances and for the most part unseasonably cold and wet weather for this section of Italy.


Most of the commentary since the start of this transmission has featured an incident in 2006 which should have been long consigned to the dustbin of history as of no interest to cycling or the encouragement of sponsorship. However ever since a certain Jan was accused of engaging in “Unsporting activities” the Germans in particular have tried to distance themselves from the sport.

Last week in the Cuneo area I was fortunate to ride with Eric Zabel as I have done many other times in past years. One occasion that comes into sharp focus is the Vuelta Rest day in 2001 at Barcelona
Most Spanish teams stayed in the same neighbourhood so the were about 50+ in the group including yours truly. Training on rest day starts out at a moderate pace through the suburbs and as we were going along I got my leg pulled unmercifully as there were any number of the racers who knew my story and wanted to know why I support “Disabled Sport” even though some of them remembered me from the 2000 Olympic in Sydney.

Not sure who started it but I had paper thrust under my nose and the request for autograph, “are you kidding” I asked but the straight face answered their family had seen me on TV so were asked to oblige. Well I went to the back of the group and tried to do the bike autograph, I was then doing like Stephan Roche as I wobbled down the road. This got to be a bit of a joke as some of the Telecom boys joined in as well. Later the group broke up into several sections and together with Telecom I rode up to the observatory behind Barcelona . Returning to the hotel in the traffic a little fat local hopped out of his car with a tyre iron to threaten the Telecom guys, Eric broke out in laughter as did the others , the lights changed and we took off bemused as to what the rabbit was raving about..



Back to the return ride to Cuneo, following Eric was a long haired Italian looking guy in a red uniform letting Eric ride point. I saw them coming towards me and having seen Eric in Savigliano early that morning was surprised so turned as quickly as I could to chase but was 150m behind so was red lining to catch the draft. After I got on I found that the pace was uncomfortably high so with a strong wind in the face decided to draft rather than chat.

Now here’s the thing that stands out, we were easily going faster than I have ever gone with him on “Rest Days” regardless of the head wind, closer to 40kph if not more. This amazing guy is not racing and yet he is pulling us both along quite easily ,and he is not named by the worm as a user. The next day with Moser, Motta, Bettini & Fondriest started out at a lower tempo but the return trip was equally as fast again Maurizio is not named by the worm. Fact is he seems to have a grudge against his countrymen and US Cycling and their connections but then he was looking for attention at the Tour of California and caught the attention world wide.

What a sad day it is when “helping someone” in past years is rewarded with this type of behaviour. As I was growing up I was taken to the beach and would build sandcastles and at home like other kids would throw mud at the wall hoping some would stick , well we all know that Media Circles have deep pockets and access to teams of lawyers so what’s a little mud between reporting on Iraq and World Cup Soccer?

Earlier this week I thought it was “April Fools day “as I caught an article about tiny motors being buried in the frames of bikes. YUP there are those who think that a bike can be assisted by a tiny motor! Where do you hide the batteries that are needed to transform the power of the athlete into mechanised assistance?

Marco Bugnotti made a comment as a member of the UCI that was reported in Cyclingnews.com which I thought summed up their attitude to the Media’s interest in this subject. Looks like it has been overtaken as a matter of speculation by the worm!



Two grand tours on the go and both with Aussies wearing the leaders jersey with 20+ Aussies vying with each other to achieve recognition the rest of this week will be great viewing. Another thing I notice regularly is the Columbia team spends consistently more time on the front of the peleton than other teams, is this my imagination or is this fact.



Perticara has been passed with a 6min lead for the breakaway and it reminds me of Linus running out of steam before the finish in an earlier etappe, disappointing to see someone have “Hitting the Wall(usually in marathons) syndrome” in a bike race and within the final kilometre.

PLEASE IF YOU ENJOYED THIS BLOG click the “FOLLOW” on the navbar and LEAVE a COMMENT as “Sponsors react to interaction and I cannot help “Disabled/Physically Challenged Athletes without their support! Helping Para Athletes is why I make this blog available!

GIRO 2010 REPORT 2

Each year as I ride the various Pro Tour Cycle Races I am amazed by the “Kindness” shown me by complete strangers who choose after a request to set up camp on their property to go further and offer use of their facilities and even invite me to sit down with their family to eat not only evening meal but breakfast also. Some times they give me food and drink to take away with me and can be quite insistent there even after showing that there is already enough but that the offer is appreciated.

Tuesday evening in Fossano I found the home of Maurizio & Giovanna by chance simply as it had vacant ground attached. Spoke French with Carlo who gained permission for me to camp . As I was setting up camp I was invited in for the evening meal with the family, a simple meal but welcome. I contributed some wine which only Carlo was drinking with me. After Grace a variety of dishes were offered and the conversation was in a variety of French, English & Italian. There are 11 children in this remarkable family and not all were at home during the meal. Various other people came and went in the course of the evening and after a shower I retired to the tent with an invitation to breakfast.

This family has two disabled children , one with speech difficulties and the other is wheelchair bound and severely incapacitated. Feeding required great patience so you can see just how generous these folk were to offer a complete stranger such a warm welcome. Humbling experience to find people such as these surmounting their difficulties to help others.

Wednesday found me in an area near Tortona as I was looking to ride the Novaro-Novi Luguri route in the morning. Stopped a road cyclist to see if he could translate a request to a Caravan rental yard but was no help so had a go myself. Householder passed me to her sister who having lived in the USA was reasonably fluent and handled the intros and location of the tent. Working on the site were a Pakistani and a Indian who as I set up the tent insisted I join their meal. Kitchen facilities left a lot to be desired but the meal of soup and sausages and veg Asian/Indian style caused no ill effects. They surprised me in the morning by bringing me Indian coffee and delicacies for breakfast, totally unexpected. Neither would accept thanks for these efforts which knowing that they were working for low wages shows how generous people can be to strangers.

Thursday night after setting up the bike for the next days at the park Hotel in Piacenza I headed east towards Modena but decided on a roundabout to try a farm signposted. Several houses to choose from and so as luck would have it knocked on the only door with English speaking residents. The daughter answered and the mother invited me in for coffee whilst contacting the foreman of the farm. He put in an appearance and recommended setting the tent in a barn where the trucks are parked in winter. Once that was sorted I was invited into dinner which was very generous and tasty. Leah is from the Philippines and the children I think were all born in Italy certainly the youngest only spoke Italian and was absorbed by his computer As the daughter worked her face book photos on another , the other daughter was watching the TV amongst other things. Morning once again was a sit down breakfast with the family before I headed back into Piacenza to meet the owner of Vivo sports store.

Since I couldn’t ride the bike comfortably around the Team Pullman parking area at the Fidenza Village start area later that morning I decided the best and safest option was to head back to Zillertal to recover from the injuries of Thursday’s accident. Driving was no problem as I was placing no weight on the muscles but walking was a parody of a 80yo drunk shuffling along. With access to Eurosport I have feasted on Australian Sporting Success these past few days .

Bob Hawke a former Prime Minister also a great sports fan on the day Alan Bond won the America’s Cup declared any employer penalising workers that day was a “Bum”! Well this past week has been just as thrilling for me.

TO ALL AUSTRALIAN SPORTS PEOPLE , THANKYOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS, LONG MAY YOUR SUCCESS CONTINUE !!

OLYMPIC CHALLENGE

SHOWING PARALYMPIANS THAT WE CARE

This is an Open letter to all Olympians but particularly those currently competing at Vancouver Winter Games.

On March 12 the Paralympic Games open in Vancouver and like with you the hopes of their countries rest on their shoulders! During the past week I have seen some spectacular performances by the participants and followed most events by way of Eurosport and CNN on the TV and a variety of sites on the Internet. There is a lack of comment about the Paralympics everywhere, why this should be continues to amaze me!

Each of you compete in difficult and sometimes dangerous sports and at the back of your mind there is an awareness of the possibility of accident resulting in injury or even the end of your sport career. We all think “there but for the Grace of God” in many aspects of our life. Human nature is such that we dwell on the positives in life and overlook the negatives.

My challenge to you all is to Help raise the Profile of Paralympic Sport. Each day you talk to the Media, some of you Twitter and Blog and use other means to stay in contact with your fans. By going to the website for your National Paralympic Team you will be able to tell people about your Nationals who will be representing YOU at the Paralympic Games in March. There are some of you already working with “Disabled Athletes” at some level , you may be already giving equipment and support of some sort.

Now is the time whilst the Public is focused on the Olympic Games to remind them, your public of what is about to take place and how important to you their support of Your Countries Paralympic Athletes is to you. At Athens2004 and Torino 2006 I spoke with many Athletes from all over the world and asked them to select a Paralympic Athlete and talk to the Media about them thus giving them recognition and support. At the time all I spoke to agreed with the idea and told me they would follow the idea and encourage their colleagues to join in this project which I titled “Parrabuddy”.

HERE IS THE CHALLENGE, in the comments box enter your name , country , sport then ADD the name of a Country Paralympian and any details you care to mention about them or your connection. As before I would ask that you also talk to your fellow athletes and ask them also to add their comments, this only takes a short time but it will become visible to the public even if only through the Google Search Pages! If you look up “Parrabuddy” or “Skippydetour” you will see pages of references so I feel sure that any comment you make will find it’s way through the internet to your Public and others!

For me the most Emotive moment of the Opening Ceremony was Rick Hansen rolling in with the “Olympic Torch”, you will have treasured moments that you may care to share.

TO ALL ATHLETES , THANKYOU FOR YOUR PERFORMANCES AT VANCOUVER AND SAFE JOURNEY HOME WHERE I HOPE YOU RECEIVE A HEROES WELCOME !!

BORROWED

Trawling the Blogs to find info on Cycling and Disabled Sport I occasionally come on some great ideas. Just about all the Photos I post are the result of others efforts and perhaps they also owe thanks to other sites, whatever their source I hope that the thanks I offer is reward enough. I have a “digital camera which I got through eBay several years ago and at present it will not work on vista home premium which I use, it appears to have been made in the east. Perhaps it had a dvd , I don’t recall using this but the white folded pamphlet came within the “aqua green coloured box with the camera and supposedly can be used as PC camera also. Whatever anyone can do to locate the replacement Cd info would be appreciated!

Cycling tips is a Blog I occasionally look at and they recently observed a Blog on SBS Cycling Central and related that item in the body of their Blog but added a really good set of photos which create the essence of the story in a way that would be hard to surpass.







Having viewed these photos you like me will understand how patient the normal motorist has to be to cope with the daily trauma of traffic snarls. In past years I enjoyed living in the inner west suburbs of Sydney and where possible would drive west for my early appointments or made sure I was parked in Darlinghurst/East Sydney before 8am enjoying a coffee in those places that the “Movers & Shakers” used to enjoy. I wonder if “No Names” coffee shop is still run by the same family. First went there in 1967 when upstairs was a queue on the stairs and $3 was the usual charge for a surprisingly filling meal with byo facilities, those were the days!

On moving to the North Shore I would be at North Sydney Pool before 6am in the Winter and Lane Cove Pool in the Summer with the result that I was at the North Pylon before 7.10am to avoid the start of the “parking station syndrome”. Breakfast on Thursdays was the “Swap Meeting in the Hilton” where like minded were able to network and hear “motivational speakers on a variety of subjects”. The internet indicates these meetings continue in a number of locations and whilst I no longer keep in touch since 2000 often wonder about some of those who attended in my time there. Like everything time moves on and so too with the Daily Crawl to work. Any reasonable person with a fixed starting time at their workplace knows to the minute how much time to allocate so as to arrive on schedule each day of the week as each day has varying traffic conditions.

Why is it then that these “reasonable people” become “merchants of terror” when they find themselves behind a cyclist? People get behind the wheel in various moods and “strap on a personality” which is entirely different to that in the house or workplace, is the only conclusion that I can come up with. In Europe driving in France & Italy you will find the car behind “tailgating” so close that they could sit in your back seat but rarely will they pass on your “inside” but overtake they will even if only to slam on the brakes for the next lights. But when they get behind a cyclist they will patiently wait for a “Safe point” to pass and will Not Hammer their horn to let you know of their attitude.

Vuelta Espana 2001 in Barcelona I had been riding the rest day with the Race Teams and as we headed back to the “T-Mobile Team Hotel” we were overtaken by this Spanish mini car and out hopped a little fat bloke with a tyre lever in his hand shouting out
“Whatever”.
.

One of the guys asked “Sprecken zie deutsch” and that and the laughter deflated him and he slunk back to his “tin can” and took off. So the point is that whoever or wherever you are you can expect to find “an inferior ego that has to vent their Stupidity”! A story in another Blog illustrates the situation that occurred at the Athens Olympic to Michael Rich, even though there was ample evidence to lock up the Greek Mongrel nobody was willing to take the time to pursue the action needed to gain a result.

Police action these days needs several sets of eyes to remove the suspicion of collusion, you are reporting an “idiot” because you don’t like the colour of his car? Or you are in a bad mood with nothing better to do than kick your heels in the Court Waiting Room so as to “Give Evidence” about for the Court a “trivial incident that had not led to death and is thus of little merit in their time table”!
We all read reports of “rapists” being let off so it should come as no surprise to hear of a “motorist being let free of a conviction for damaging a cyclist and subsequently reappearing for the same offence. This happens all the time with drink drivers, let off the first time with a fine and perhaps a ban then reappearing after with same condition only an injury or death added to the circumstances being related in court.

Several Blogsites have appeared in recent years which are carrying “Video evidence” of incidents which the Police choose not to use but the day will come when this added to other evidence will cause the convictions to be passed down. Over the years as I ride I have found myself being forced around a corner by a vehicle which has come alongside and turned with no consideration for my welfare, fortunately there has not been a curb to bring me to a sudden stop. Gestures have not resulted in the driver stopping and it is possible the action was deliberate on some occasions.

Some Blogs advocate giving a friendly piece of advice to erring cyclists after catching them after they run the stop sign or red lights, but unless you are thick skinned it is a waste of breath. Gesturing your thanks to a motorist again can be provocative as this can be taken by some as provocation with an unintended result. Best to say thanks if you catch up at the next lights or in traffic but by that time they will have already forgotten the incident.

Paul Crake was the unlucky victim of a crash in the Tour in New Zealand but there are many others who are wilfully injured or killed by driver negligence!

The courts seem to think that a small fine and a limited driving ban suffices to resolve the outcome. This is as much a nonsense as giving a drink driver the benefit of the doubt when up in front of the bench. Loss of life is permanent and the offender in many cases is contrite as far as the exit door where life returns to normal. Pity about the Parentless family who have lost their way of life, or the childless parents who doted on the lost child. Too little thought is given to the relatives of the victim, compensation even of large sums are worthless compared to the space left in their lives.

Many “Disabled” are victims of accident and time and again I come across lone “Handbikers” pursuing their form of cycling, some get along quite quickly so it surprises me why they do not get invited to participate in group weekend rides, they would enjoy socialising now just as much as when they were “normal” before their accident. Perhaps it would be a great idea if clubs made more of an effort to invite these people to join in and same applies to the Tandem riders as I can tell you some are difficult to keep pace with when they are on the flat.



With the Paralympics fast approaching and in the northern hemisphere spring also now is the time to make the offers of participation. Who knows you may find yourself cheering these same people as they compete at the 2012 Paralympics in London.

In closing it is sad to view the loss of an athlete in any sport but what are the qualifications required for entry into some of these dangerous sports. Eddie the Eagle was race skiing then moved across to Ski Jumping but is there a junior level of competition for the Luge where the participants get years of experience. Skiing & Cycling amongst other sports have a variety of lower levels of competition that you have to progress through. I could not imagine lying on what amounts to a tray doing about 150kph with my feet in front let alone head first in the “Skeletons"!Scary Sports!

FEAST OR FAMINE

Today I waited in for the Larry King Live show as this week has been exceptionally informative in so many ways ! Tuesday was Michelle Obama and the Obesity issue which I have remarked on in the recent past. Wednesday we had Joe Biden together with John and Teresa Kerry on the show . I had the pleasure of meeting John Kerry at the Tour de France Time Trial in St Ettienne when he was on the way to join up with Eddie Merckx at the “Discovery Team Training Area.. The previous year in that area I was introduced by Lance to Robin Williams who invited me to San Diego to work with his foundation, sadly no sponsor came forward to cover the expenses.



Larry King was the victim of a heart attack 23 years ago and during his program it came out that Teresa is currently fighting Cancer, also mentioned was John’s fight with Prostate Cancer at the start of his bid to be President in competition with Bush’s reelection. Both at that time were in contact with Lance and wearing the “Livestrong Wristband”, and much was made of George Bush using the mountain bike . Kerry appeared on TV to be an easy going type and this was how he was whilst I introduced him to several people. I did try to get Chris Horner who was in the compound at the time to walk across but as he was preparing for his ride this did not work. Funnily enough John Kerry was talking to Andy Rhys who is now the BMC boss but at that time owner of the Phonak Team. I won’t repeat the story of the Euskatel and Kerry meeting here but it was quite entertaining.

Bill Clinton was the subject of today’s “LKL” due to his overnight operation and during the commercial break I turned to German Eurosport where they were attempting to show the third effort to run the “America’s Cup”. When living in Perth, W.A. in the early 70’s I was into sailing as a past time as members of the “team” that hung out at “Gobbles” night club owned by John Golding were into sailing in a big way. Several of these rogues used to slip the leash of a Friday night and then on Saturday I would get to crew on some amazing yachts, I was never good enough for the first crew who were Profis but there was occasionally a place to make up the numbers in some of the competition craft.



Alan Bond would occasionally make an appearance on board and like the owners of this year’s competitors would take the helm, so it was not surprising when watching the TV to see him on board as “Australia” crossed the finish line to win the “America’s Cup”. since then I have sen reports of get togethers with Alan flying in from England. No doubt he is in Spain at this time renewing acquaintances with some of the “players” from that historic event. I had the chance to meet John Bertrand and some of the Australia crew many times in the Yanchep Sun City area over the years but only met Dennis Connors on the occasion of the Cup being passed over in Perth to be taken back to the USA. I had arrived in Perth by chance with a friend and whilst she was elsewhere I went with George Pascott to the Lunch time ceremony where I remarked to Dennis that the “Old Mug” was “only on loan as it would be returning Down Under at the next contest” ,it did but went to the New Zealand Syndicate.



The fascinating racing today on Eurosport TV seems like a walk over for Oracle’s design but I think I prefer the older style yachts without all the “legal shenanigans”. Cannot imagine having to crawl from one section of the Yacht to another because of the angles that these yachts use when flying. Hate to think what will happen when a section of these huge craft suffers a defect and I am very curious about the Oracle helmsman’s backpack, doesn’t look like a harness support point and certainly not his lunch pack with water sack. Oracle has won today’s event but not being German literate have missed the finer points of the commentary. Congratulations are due to the Americans with their 8 1/2m win, tactics and winds will affect the future races but I hope that we see closer results as these races will compete with the Olympics for attention in the next weeks.

The alarm is set for 2am gmt to enjoy the “opening ceremony” of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and when I return from ski touring tomorrow I hope to see the “Downhill race with an Aussie doing well. Looking at the team list has shown that Dale and Torah are in play for medals once more, there are other possibilities there also. I was at the “Celebration party” in Samsung house at “Torino” for Alisa Camplin and it was a pleasure to see that she was just as happy with the bronze as she had been with the prior Gold Medal from Salt Lake.


On one occasion I was in Deutscher House at Athens 2004 watching the swimming presentation ceremony on TV. Sitting having a smorgasbord lunch at the same table were the parents of the Bronze medal winner. They were delighted that I was Australian and shared a few memories of their daughters exploits leading up to the Olympics. They had not expected their daughter to win a podium place and so had not gone to the pool, there was more I am sure as even being in the final would have had most parents poolside. The Bronze medalist Anne Poleska stood up on the podium with some enthusiasm and general crowd approval, then the Silver Medalist arrived on the podium with a scowl on her face, I am sure that there was huge disappointment for that young lady in not winning but that was not the place to show bad feeling . I was quite surprised by this exhibition and apologised to the Poleskas who also had expected that the gold would go to Australia .Apologies for the lack of Anne's photo given to me that day by her parents

IT IS NOT WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE, IT IS HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME !!

Go AUSSIES grab the medals but continue to make us humble folk Proud!!

Before closing I would like to remind all that I have been fortunate with my sports activities , never a winner but enjoying socialising with some of the notables in every sport I have practised.

Blogging is new for me AND I would like you all to ask others to visit this site because there are others out there who like me would like to help “Disabled/Physically Challenged/Paralympic Athletes” enjoy some of the events we take for granted.



Today I was reading www.fatcyclist.com and of course added a few links to the comments section because he had a “motorised wheelchair/scooter” looking for a new home. In weeks past I have mentioned www.physiciansforpeace.org who are in need of all the “prosthetics and other items used by “Disabled/limbless People” that they can find. Any gathering of people that raises funds for Cancer should consider helping by having a facility to pass on “Donations”. What use are Crutches, walking sticks etc in your cupboard when gathered they can be passed to people in urgent need.

Skippy’s fan club at www.fatcyclist.com are not impressed with my suggestions but I will continue to find ways to help others. “Fatty’s following provided a sum in excess of $136k in december to Livestrong and in January Lance forwarded $250k to the Haitian Appeal. Had I the resources Lance has I am sure there would be more that I could do other than remind people of opportunities to help.



As I grew up I read newspapers with “Charles Atlas” ads , you know the “Glamorous, Handsome Hulk kicking sand in the face of the scrawny weakling, I sometimes feel that my efforts are worthless but I will keep putting the shoulder to the cart and inch it forward little by little.